Nailable composite structural member and building unit



March 14, 1939. G. F. KOTRBATY NAILABLE COMPOSITE STRUCTURAL MEMBER AND BUILDING UNIT Original Filed Dec.

$000.00... 0 oo o ozo INVENTOR. Guy EKol-rbofy BY 7 ATTORNEY? Patented Mar. 14, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NAILABLE COMPOSITE STRUCTURAL MEM- BER AND BUILDING UNIT Guy F. Kotrbaty, Chestnut Hill, Pa., assignor to Ferrocon Corporation, Bryn Mawr, Pa., a. corporation of Delaware Application October 1,

1935, Serial No. 43,017,

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in building construction systems and elements therefor.

This application is a division of my application Ser. No. 43,017, filed Oct. 1, 1935, for Composite building construction units and supporting members, allowed Jan. 21, 1937, and issuing as Patent No. 2,094,607, on Oct. 5, 1937, which application was a division of my application Serial No. 758,345 filed December 30, 1934, and

now matured into Patent No. 2,101,073 of December 7, 1937.

The improvements of the present invention relate to modified structural supporting framing members and self-supporting building units of the type described generally in my Patent No. 1,968,045 of July 31, 1934, and Patent No. 1,965,- 601, of July 10, 1934, and cognate patents and applications, Patent No. 2,017,441, of Oct. 15, 1935; Patent No. 1,987,115, of January 8, 1935; Patent No. 1,995,477, of March 26, 1935; Patent No. 1,993,791, of March 12, 1935, and application Ser. No. 29,820, allowed April 30, 1937.

The present invention relates more particularly to composite building framing members and building units incorporating the same, in which the parts of the framing members are adapted to be secured together and locked by means of driven members, such as nails, driven through mating parts of the said members.

In addition, the novel improvements of the present invention include provision for the utilization of preformed panelings of various types, with or without the use of associated structural hardenable plastic materials bonded and applied to the supporting panel members.

Other features of novelty of the present invention include self-supporting building construction units having framing sections adapted to be associated with mating sections of other like units to form composite building supporting members provided with panel-receiving means for securing panelings or surfacings to the surfaces thereof.

These and other desirable features will be described in the accompanying specification and illustrated in the drawing, certain preferred forms being shown by way of illustration only, for, since the underlying features may be incorporated in other specific structures and assemblies, it is not intended to be limited to the ones here shown, except as such limitations are clearly imposed by the appended claims.

In the drawing, like numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views, of which Fig. 1 is a horizontal section of a framing member having its parts secured by a driven member, such as a nail;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the structure of Fig. 1, with the panel elements of the building units superposed on and secured to the edges of the framing member sections, and

Figs. 3 and 4 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 2, respectively, showing panel-crimping sections on the edges of the framing members.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a pair of abutted and interlocked partition wall or light-weight building units 193. These units include spaced panelings H9, spaced apart and secured to composite end framing sections 399 and 39970. The frame sections 399 and 30910 include body portions 30!, 392 formed of deep grooves which are adapted to mate in tongue and groove fit and may be of any desired number. Each of the framing sections terminates in angled edges 333 defining square channels therebetween, and these edges are angularly bent at 394 to form beaded or reinforced bearing edges 395 upon which the edges of the panels H9 may be abutted and secured as by welding, brazing, or by mechanical means such as rivets, bolts, and the like. The framing members of the building units are fitted into each other and permanently secured by driving nails 31! or other securing members transversely through the mated tongue and groove sections of the interfitted parts. To this purpose, the metal of which the framing elements are fabricated will be of so-called light weight material or thin sheet metal, and the nails 31! may desirably be hardened to permit their being driven into and through the thin metal. It will be seen that with a plurality of nails or other members driven through each of the folds of the mating tongues and grooves, they are firmly and permanently secured together. The barrels of the nails or drive screws used may be roughened to insure retention of the same in the sheet metal.

The building units described immediately above, and including the composite nailable framing elements are particularly suited for partition wall work and other light weight constructions. The panel members may be of metal lath or sheet metal, or of wood veneer, asbestos sheeting, or any other material, including plastic condensation products and artificial resins generally. Cement, or lime or gypsum plasters may be used as surface finishes.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4-, the sections 300a and 3001) of the framing elements have the usual mating tongue and groove sections 3am and 3U2b,'while the edges of these members are provided with curved sections 3% forming auxiliary keyways, which sections terminate in the crimps 3B? in which the edges of the panels 5 it are secured and retained. The gap or space between the sections 3M will be sufficient to permit the introduction of the nails or drive screws 3H and their forcing into and through the folds of the sheet metal framing elements. Side-Wall constructions may be secured to an array of self-supporting building units Hill, as by means of side Wall keys inserted into the auxiliary keyways 396, in the manner shown and claimed in the parent patent of this application, hereinabove identified and referred to.

It will now be appreciated that there has been provided an improved building construction, including novel composite framing members and self-supporting building units. These imp-rovements include sheet metal framing members adapted to be secured together by driven means such as nails and drive screws and their equivalents. The novel improvements of the present invention also include an improved method of assembling novel structural parts of the present invention.

The various features and combinations of structural parts have been shown herein by way of illustration only, and it is intended to claim all parts as broadly novel, particularly in their new combinations insofar as the state of the art Will allow.

What is claimed is:

l. The improvements in composite stud members of self-supporting structural building units, comprising pleated end members of relatively thin sheet metal mating with like members of abutted structural units, and pierced by means driven through said mated end sections and interlocking the same.

2. The improvements in composite stud mem'-- bers of self-supporting structural building units, comprising pleated end members of relatively thin sheet metal mating with like members of abutted structural units, and pierced by nails driven through said mated end sections and interlocking the same.

3. In the structures claimed in claim 2, the improvements including hardened nails and screw nails.

4. A composite framing member including sheet metal sections pleated to form a plurality of folds serving as interfitted and mating tongues and grooves, the whole being secured by a plurality of nails driven transversely of and through the said tongues and grooves, and means on the edges of the said sections for attaching panel members.

5. A building construction comprising an array of self-supporting building units abutted and interlocked, each unit including spaced panel sections spaced apart by and secured to end members of relatively thin sheet metal pleated to form a plurality of folds serving as interfitting and mating tongues and grooves, abutted end members being interfitted and locked together by nails driven through the interfitted and mated tongues and grooves.

6. Self-supporting building units as claimed in claim 5, including panels crimped to and spaced by the end members.

'7. Self-supporting building units as claimed in claim 5, including panels crimped to and spaced by the end members, the panel crimping sections defining auxiliary keyways.

' 8. Self-supporting building units as claimed in claim 5, including panels laid on and secured to edge sections of the end members.

GUY F. KOTRBATY. 

